Do you know a future leader in the blindness
community--a young man or woman, blind or visually impaired, who has the intelligence,
energy, and determination to make a difference in the lives of visually impaired
persons in your country? The International Program at Overbrook School for the
Blind in Philadelphia is open to candidates from throughout the world who demonstrate
these leadership qualities and who are interested in participating in a one-year
academic and training program.

Now in its twelfth year, the Program
announces the start of the admissions process for the 1998-99 academic year.
You are invited to nominate candidates who meet the qualifications required
for admission and who would benefit from taking part in the program. To qualify,
a participant must 1) be blind or partially sighted, 2) be between the ages
of sixteen and twenty-one at the start of the program, 3) be in good academic
standing, 4) have a basic knowledge of English, 5) be interested in adaptive
computer technology for the blind, and 6) demonstrate independence and leadership
skills.

The Admissions Committee reviews all
nominations and invites appropriate candidates to complete a full application.

The International Program is designed
to develop leadership capabilities of young blind and partially sighted individuals
from around the world, to provide them with the skills they will need to succeed
in higher education and the work place, and to help improve the situation of
other blind and visually impaired persons in their countries.

Courses in adaptive computer technology,
English as a second language, and leadership development form the core of the
curriculum, while emphasis is also placed on learning in an inter-cultural environment.
Educational field trips, music programs, and sports activities are also offered.

Jim Willows, President of the NFB of
California, recently wrote to report the following sad news:

I deeply regret having to report the
passing of two dedicated California Federation members. Larry Rangel died on
August 21, 1997, of diabetic complications. Larry was an active member of both
our Bay Area (San Francisco) and California Orientation Center for the Blind
Alumni Chapters. Larry attended his first National Convention this past summer,
shortly before his death. He came home with high enthusiasm and motivation.
He asked me to call on him for any help he could offer our affiliate. Dinah
Smith died in Denver on September 7, after a long illness. She had moved into
a nursing home near her family.

Prior to this move Dinah lived for many
years in Santa Barbara, where she had been a twenty-year member and treasurer
of the NFB Chapter. Joy Smith, President of the Santa Barbara County Chapter,
tells me that she could always count on Dinah for helpin chapter activities.
Both Dinah and Larry are the stuff of which this organization is made. They
will be greatly missed.

New Catalog of Braille Books for Children
Available:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

Seedlings Braille Books for Children
announces its new 1998 catalog. This catalog contains over 300 low-cost Braille
books for children. Thirty-eight books have been added this year, including
for pre-schoolers print-Braille-and-picture books Disney's My Book of ABC, Goodnight
Moon, and Pooh All Year Long; for older children Newberry Award winners in Braille
such as A Gathering of Days, The Giver, and The Midwife's Apprentice. Other
new Braille books include selections from popular series like The Boxcar Children,
Hardy Boys, and The American Girls Collection.

For more information check the Seedlings
Web page at http://www.22cent.com/seedlings or write to P.O. Box 51924, Livonia,
Michigan 48151-5924, or e-mail: [email protected]

Help Wanted:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

The Clovernook Center in Cincinnati is
recruiting for a variety of positions in its production facility. Openings include
packers; material handlers; machine operators; and utility, quality assurance,
and warehouse personnel. Contact Mike Walsh, Clovernook Center for the Blind,
7000 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45231, (513) 522-3860. The Center is an
equal opportunity employer.

Italian Tour:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

Campanian Enterprises plans a trip to
Italy for sixteen blind travelers April 26 to May 8, 1998. Several sighted guides
will be with us throughout the program.

The tour accents the Touchable Treasures
of Northern Italy from the architectural glories of Milan and the landscape
surrounding Lake Como to the sounds, smells, and freshness of the Alps and the
magnificence of Florence--Giotto, Masaccio, Donatello, Botticelli and Michelangelo.
With expert guidance across the majestic boundaries of Northern Italy, we will
encounter the history of ancient Rome and the Renaissance and enjoy the food
and wines of the local cuisine.

The program includes transatlantic flights
from New York to Milan and Florence to New York (add-on fares are available
from other cities in the U.S. and Canada; contact us for this information);
accommodation at first-class hotels; continental breakfast and dinner daily
and one lunch; pullman coach transportation throughout the program; expertly
guided tours and professional background lectures; sightseeing and excursions
as described in the itinerary; all entrance fees to museums and archaeological
sites; and gratuities and service charges. Not included are passport expenses,
airport taxes, ten lunches, alcoholic beverages, accident/baggage insurance,
personal expenses, laundry, telephone, taxes, and taxis.

We recently received the results of the
NFB of Colorado election that took place during the affiliate's September convention.
Elected were President Diane McGeorge; First Vice President, Kevan Worley; Second
Vice President, Scott LaBarre; Secretary, Julie Deden; Treasurer, Paul Lorensen;
and Board Members John Deden, Alice George, Don Hudson, and Dan Wenzel.

Computer Systems Available:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

Cabo Systems, which specializes in niche
markets, now builds adaptive computer systems for the blind and visually impaired.
We test and benchmark every component that goes into a Cabo computer for speed
and reliability based on its own merits and in the way it interacts with other
system components.

Every Cabo System comes with a standard
two-year parts and labor warranty covering everything from hard drives to rubber
feet to mouse pads and with free-for-life technical support. You can call ten
years after your purchase and immediately talk to a human being. On-site warranties
are also available at a reasonable rate, and in-house repairs are always completed
inside twenty-four hours.

Fully configured adaptive computers start
at $2,499 for a mid-range pentium with all the bells and whistles. For the power
user, however, we also offer Pentium Pro, multi-processor, and RISC based machines.
If you can dream it, we can build it.

In the July, 1997, issue, we printed
an article about the new Arizona Braille Law. The story said that Dr. Jane Erin
of the University of Arizona devised a provision stipulating that electronic
versions of text books for students in community colleges and universities as
well as in elementary and secondary schools be available when needed for transcription
into Braille. We are told that, while Dr. Erin's Task Force recommended the
idea, it was actually Task Force member Terri Hedgpeth from Arizona State University
in Tempe who proposed the idea.

Handbook on Reasonable Accommodation
Available:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

The Department of Veterans Affairs Blind
Rehabilitation Services Committee on Reasonable Accommodations has produced
a handbook on reasonable accommodations. This handbook provides a succinct overview
of the law, examples of the requests for reasonable accommodation, a definition
of reasonable accommodation, and several case laws. For a free copy call Margie
Donovan, VIST Coordinator, at (415) 750-6604. Please specify your choice of
format: large print or ASCII computer disk.

We need a voice synthesizer and a screen
reader for a 386 IBM-compatible computer. We would prefer a VERT or a Tiny Talk
either donated or for a reasonable price. We are a not-for-profit, 501 (c)(3)
organization, so any donation made to us is tax-deductible. Contact the Voice
of Print of the Northwest Florida Radio Reading Service, Inc., fax (850) 944-3563,
(888) 941-2888 (toll free), twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Louisiana Tech University, in cooperation
with the Louisiana Center for the Blind, is seeking qualified applicants interested
in a master's degree in orientation and mobility. Scholarships are available
for qualified applicants. This program is funded through the U.S. Department
of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration, under an Experimental
and Innovative Training Grant. For more information contact Dr. Ruby Ryles,
(318) 251-2891.

Business Opportunity Available:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

Federation member Turley Richards, an
internationally known recording artist, songwriter, and producer, announces
a home business opportunity requiring only a telephone, computer or notetaker,
and the ability to talk to friends and acquaintances. There are no inventory,
meetings, and almost no paperwork. Having started in June of 1997, this network
marketing company is growing fast. People who get in early will almost certainly
make money. You will be a music promoter dealing in CDs; cassettes; music videos;
and, coming soon, CD-ROM products and movie videos.

For information call toll-free (888)
488-4889 and leave Turley Richards' code, AMI9599. If you need more information,
call him at (502) 452-9011. Internet address is www.bbtel.com/~dlarzin

The company Internet address is www.soundmarketin.net.The
upline is www.mjrgroup.com

For Sale:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

Do you experience cassette avalanches?
Here's the perfect remedy--the NFB of Illinois is selling cassette albums at
$3 each. These sturdy, attractive, white vinyl cassette albums hold twelve cassettes,
perfect for one year of the Braille Monitor. The album's spine is wide enough
to accommodate Braille labels, and it has a clear plastic sleeve for print label
inserts. Orders must be accompanied by a check or money order covering the number
of albums purchased. Make checks payable to NFB of Illinois. Send orders to
Stephen O. Benson, 7020 N. Tahoma Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60646. If you have
questions, please call (773) 594-9977.

Illinois Affiliate Meets:

Steve Benson, President of the NFB of
Illinois, reports that Federationists from seven states gathered at the Days
Inn in Belleville, Illinois, for the twenty-ninth annual convention of the NFB
of Illinois. President Marc Maurer participated fully in the convention agenda
and delivered a moving banquet address. Election results are as follows: Pam
Provost, Treasurer;

Elizabeth Browne, Secretary; and Bill
Reif and Kathie Mathis, Board members. Scholarship awards were presented to
Alma Hinkle, Lynn Gosling, Lois Montgomery, and Michelle Koedoot. The parents
chapter was infused with Federation energy and spirit by President Maurer and
by National Parents Division Second Vice President Carol Castellano. A solid
group of parents show real promise for the coming year. The NFB-I Student Chapter
election resulted in national scholarship winner Ameenah Ghoston's election
as President. She brings tremendous energy and good sense to the office. The
NFB of Illinois displayed an extraordinary exhibit called "Keeping in Touch
with the World" which consisted of rare historical maps, games, and tools
along with new and exciting educational material. Federationists left Belleville
looking forward to the Washington Seminar and the 1998 National Convention in
Dallas.

International Association of Assistance
Dog Partners to Meet:

We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:

Ed Eames, President of the International
Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP), a cross-disability consumer
advocacy organization of people partnered with guide, hearing, and service dogs,
announces that the organization will hold its fourth annual conference in Orlando,
Florida, on Saturday, January 10, 1998. For registration and membership information
contact Joan Froling, P.O. Box 1326, Sterling Heights, Michigan 48311, (810)
826-3938.

For Sale:

We have been asked to list the following
items for sale:

"Moving with Marge," a 50-minute
exercise program on cassette tape, produced specifically for the blind and designed
to strengthen and tone all major muscle groups, $7.50; "Gospel Music,"
ten traditional country inspirational favorites sung by Ray and Lois Howard,
$7.50; Sunbeam Health Monitor (system with synthesized speech and visual display
measures blood pressure, weight, and temperature), $50; Fostec 250, 4-track
professional tape recorder with many features, $400; echo chamber, $140; twelve-band
equalizer, $60; volume pedal for use with electric guitar, etc., $60; and Yamaha
programmable rhythm section, $100. Those interested in any of these items may
contact Lois Howard at 61951 High Hill Road, Cambridge, Ohio 43725, (614) 432-2287.

The Seeing Eye guide dog school offers
both traditional and whimsical holiday cards for sale. Both feature reproductions
of original watercolors commissioned by the school. "Holiday Hopes"
by Patti Falzarano features three realistically rendered Seeing Eye puppies
playing with a Seeing Eye harness, surrounded by a decorative border of dog
biscuits twined with red ribbon. The greeting says, "May all your hopes
and dreams come true."

"Special Delivery" by Pat Garhart,
depicts Santa Claus delivering a squirming sackful of stylized puppies to the
front door of the Seeing Eye. A few stragglers catch up through the snow on
the front path. The inside greeting says, "Delivering warm wishes for the
holidays."

Cards are packaged in boxes of 20 with
20 envelopes. Price is $13 per box plus $6.95 postage/handling for the first
box, $1.00 handling for each additional box. Orders paid by check or credit
card may be sent to the Seeing Eye, c/o Parcel Plus, Chester Springs Shopping
Center, Route 206, Chester, New Jersey 07930. Make checks payable to The Seeing
Eye; fax credit card orders to (908) 879-5661; or e-mail to [email protected]

Over 300,000 Americans serve as police,
fire, or emergency medical dispatchers; and an increasing need for qualified,
professional public safety communicators is projected in the next century. With
quality training, appropriate access technology, and placement support, blind
people can be productive, valued contributors in virtually any public safety
communication center.

The Vantage Media Group, a new career
development organization founded by a blind dispatcher, invites 24 people to
San Antonio, Texas, to participate in four weeks of public-safety dispatcher
training. Two sessions incorporate internationally respected 40-hour certifying
courses along with several support elements. These sessions are scheduled for
January 5 through 30 and February 16 through March 13, 1998.

Students will learn the basics of the
communication center, the roles of the public safety dispatcher, interactive
instruction and emergency 911 call-taking, and radio communication techniques.
Also included are introductory classes on computer-aided dispatch systems and
regional and national law enforcement networks. Other topics include ethics,
liability, and stress management.

high school diploma or G.E.D.; good reading,
writing, and oral communication skills; typing speed of 35 net wpm; mastery
of either speech- and refreshable-Braille-output devices or screen magnification
aids; and capacity to pass criminal background and drug screening.

Total tuition cost of $3,995 includes
160 hours certifying public safety communications training, all training materials,
double-occupancy lodging, meals, and 24-month student placement program. Although
transportation during training is included, travel expenses to San Antonio are
not.

Class registration is first-come, first-serve;
and only twelve students will be accepted per session. The registration deadlines
for the January and February, 1998, sessions are December 1, 1997, and January
1, 1998, respectively. For student registration or other information, contact
Program Director Roderick Roberts at (888) 584-8753 or by fax at (210) 805-8830.
Internet e-mail should be sent to [email protected]

Oops:

Barbara Cheadle, Editor of Future
Reflections, the quarterly magazine of the National Organization of Parents
of Blind Children, recently received the following letter and clipping:

Cross Lanes, West Virginia

September 4, 1997

Dear Staff:

Enclosed please find a true-life funny
that appeared in our local newspaper, The Charleston Gazette, on April
17, 1997. I hope your readers will find it interesting.

Also let me say how much I enjoy reading
the magazine and how helpful it has been to me as Kanawha County Schools' only
Braille transcriptionist.

Thank you,

Kim Aaron

Kim Aaron, wife of TV newsman Bob Aaron,
works as a transcriptionist. She turns books into Braille for sight-challenged
children for Kanawha County schools.

The Aarons were going to a movie one
evening but couldn't decide which film to see. Dad and son Adam wanted to see
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and Mom wanted Sling Blade. They reached a compromise.
Mom was dropped off at Cinema 7, and Bob and Adam went on.

Kim, however, had to wait forty-five
minutes for her movie to begin. She came prepared. She had brought some Braille
lessons with her and sat in the dimly lit theater studying and awaiting the
start of the movie.

A half hour or so later, a couple of
women walked down the aisle. One of them stopped and said to the reading woman,
"Sweetie, it is too dark in here. You'll go blind reading that book."

The reader smiled at the woman and replied,
"It's Braille."

The woman turned to her companion, muttered
something about a "smart ass" and went to her seat.

By the way there's also a sequel to the
Kim Aaron story. After the movie she explained to the women what she was doing,
and they all had a good laugh about it.

"I guess," the transcriptionist
said, "you could say I have a real feel for what I do."

NFB PLEDGE

I pledge to participate actively in the
effort of the National Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity,
and security for the blind; to support the policies and programs of the Federation;
and to abide by its constitution.